Oh Bella Italia: Homemade Lasagne

I must have said it a few times before but I think I can’t mention it enough: I love pasta dishes and I love food with melted cheese on top. Today, I want to introduce you to my very easy but still very tasty lasagne. You can make the bolognese sauce yourself, it doesn’t take a lot or you just buy a jar of your favourite tomato sauce, whatever works best for you will do the job.

All you need to feed 3-4 people is:

500g minced beef

1 package lasagne sheets

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

250ml crème fraiche

500g grated cheese

Salt, pepper, paprika

For the tomato sauce (optional):

250g cherry tomatoes cut in halves

500g peeled and chopped tomatoes (in a can)

3 garlic gloves, finely chopped

Olive oil

Fresh basil, chopped

Salt, pepper, dried mixed herbs and dried chillies

Give a bit of olive oil in a deep frying pan and roast the onions until they are golden brown. Then add your mince and garlic and fry for a few minutes. Once it turned brown, add the seasoning and stir well. Now add your ready to go sauce and simmer for a few minutes. Or if you are going to cook the sauce from scratch, add the can of tomatoes first. If you go for a sauce out of a jar, you’re ready to go and you can continue with the next paragraph. Otherwise stir the tomatoes and the mince meat well; add the cherry tomatoes, garlic and the seasoning. Let it simmer for 10 minutes, stir now and then. Try some of the sauce. If you think there is some seasoning missing, add some more. Congratulations, your bolognese sauce is done!

Now take an ovenproof dish and start with a very thin layer of sauce at the bottom. Spread the lasagne sheets evenly. On top, add another layer of sauce and make sure the pasta is fully covered otherwise it won’t cook properly. Continue until the dish is full but make sure you save some sauce for the last layer. After you spread the very last layer of sauce, add the crème fraiche and mix both up. Add some dried mixed herbs on top and now cover everything with cheese.

Cook in the oven for ca. 35-45 min at 180 degrees. Double check with the instruction on your past package.

This dish calls for a heavy, mellow red wine. I can recommend a Merlot or Chianti for a more authentic Italian feeling. Enjoy!